


Be Brave, My King

by Anathash



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Angst, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-17
Updated: 2018-01-17
Packaged: 2019-03-06 03:19:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,638
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13402353
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Anathash/pseuds/Anathash
Summary: The night is cold and dark, but her light is always there to dispel it.





	Be Brave, My King

The air is cold. Biting on Noctis’ lungs as he takes shallow breaths. But he doesn’t slow down. Even as his muscles burn for mercy and the potions can’t keep up with healing his wounds.

 He can’t give up now. Not when he can see it from here; the Citadel. His home towering over a rubble that was once Insomnia.

He can still hear their footsteps behind him, even over Ariadne's screech a block away. His brothers are still behind him; letting their King lead them towards their goal.

He knows what trails after; a whole army of demons and monsters alike, their steps filling the night.

They can’t fight them all.

Not when Ardyn still sits on his throne. Not when Noctis still needs to avenge his family whose blood is still on that bastard’s hands. Not when he needs to bring the dawn back onto the world.

Make her death worth something more than the pain it brought on Eo.

So they run.

But not for long.

They enter a district that Noctis remembers as a university campus. Long ago he thought of applying here, back when his accession to the throne didn’t seem to come that early. How everything changed.

Tall, ancient styled buildings now collapsed, all knowledge buried under layers upon layers of rumble.

Noctis hears another screech. But It’s not behind him. It’s ahead.

His hard soled shoes wip on the broken asphalt of the street as the whole party comes to a stop.

Another screech echoes in the night. This time to his right.

Of course. The Astrals were never merciful on him after all.

They have no choice but to fight. It’s a wordless exchange as they look at each other briefly, before falling into a battle stance.

Noctis could hear Ignis turning back, his magic flasks clacking into each other in his palms.

Prompto reloading his rifle, before muttering some sort of a prayer.

Gladio, putting his shield to the ground and gripping his sword even tighter.

Noctis summons his father's blade, the cold metal giving him every bit of strength it could.

Screeches, moans and screams fill the night as the groups progress on them.

Briefly Noctis thinks how many of them they could take out before running out of potions.

An Ariadne jumps onto the still standing skyscraper to flank them.

How many of them were not immune to the black magic of his ring.

A dualhorn grunts as it begins to charge.

How many would be affected by Prompto’s starshell.

The sudden feeling almost makes him drop his sword.

It’s like a buzz at the back of his skull.

In the end the brightness of her light always had that effect on him.

The darkness of the night perishes suddenly. The brightness of it warming the air around them by the slightest.

The odour of decay and dust suddenly goes away and the air starts smelling faintly of syllebloosoms. Like the fields in which they played as children.

Maybe It’s his mind playing tricks at him; giving him this last shred of hope because he won’t see the sun again.

But then he turns.

And she is there.

Bright as the sun, devine beyond all comprehension.

"Luna."

The nickname he gave her when they were children is the only thing that can escape his lips when he sees her.

The only woman in his life he ever loved.

And the one that died because he was too weak to save her.

She is a ghost behind them, levitating over them like a guardian angel. The trident more graceful in her hands then it could ever be in his.

She doesn’t look at them; her eyes closed to the world.

Luna moves her trident in her hands, bringing her weapon forward as if waiting to strike. But instead she lays her forehead on the beautifully ornamented metal. A silent prayer leaves her lips.

And everything turns bright.

The light envelops them whole, like a tight blanket, like a mother's embrace, like a lovers kiss.

Her aura is all around him. Cooling his muscles, warming up his lungs, healing his wounds. It heals his body but the touch of her leaves him even more broken than before.

Because she isn’t there. Not really.

The screeches of monsters and demons alike ring in his ears as the light stops being the only thing he can sense.

The demons all around them perish from the light, leaving only black blood in their wake. Monsters back out, whining from their wounds and fear. Those made of darkness and fright don’t do well in such brightness.

Noctis expects her to vanish as soon as she appears. It had been that way since he remembered; fate taking her away from him a second after he sees her. The moment he hopes for her to simply be by his side.

But Lunafreya is still there.

As bright as the sun.

As beautiful as the day he saw her last.

She is eternal now. Unlike him; whom those ten years gifted with lines in his skin and stubble on his cheeks.

His brothers stay silent as she descends towards him. Her white dress flutters in the wind that is not there.

And as she levitates just a few inches before him, her eyes finally open.

Noctis can feel his lungs lose their breath. Can feel his eyes watering. The hollowness inside his chest returns at the sight of her.

In a sense it makes his death easier.

She smiles. A broken little grimace that is more sad than happy.

And he can’t help the tears that escape his eyes, falling heavy onto his dusted cheeks.

Luna stretches her hand out to him. It’s an unsure gesture but the moment her fingertips brush his skin, he swears he can feel it; her warmth.

Maybe It’s just the light. Maybe it’s his desperation for any of it to be real.

It doesn’t matter anyway.

He forces the tears to stop. It’s a fruitful endeavor, because as he reaches to touch her forearm they only fall harder.

Her thumb brushes over the tears she knows she can’t wipe away.

The moment is unreal and short. But it’s theirs.

A small compensation for a life they had been so mercifully robbed of.

Noctis knows she is only here to give him courage. For his road is not yet over and his pain will only grow with the nights progression.

It is the Oracles calling to support her King after all.

He looks up at her, feeling the light slowly fleeting away. Her touch more and more unreal with each passing second.

"It won’t be long now, Luna."

His voice is as strong as he can force it to be as he catches the sobbs in his throat. He wants her to know...Needs her to know that he is ready. That he has accepted his fate. That soon he will join her among the stars where maybe they can finally rest.

Together.

Lunafreya smiles. This time It’s her real smile. The one he remembers from his childhood. The one he foolishly thought he could put on her face every day when they get married.

The one that still inspired hope within him.

She leans in.

Her fingers comb through the strands of his hair as her lips brush his forehead.

He can barely feel her touch at this point.

A ghost of warmth on his skin.

But it makes his heart swell.

Luna leans back so she can look into his eyes. In this light the blue of her eyes turned into a breathtaking violet.

"Be brave, my King."

Her voice is soft, barely above the whisper. It holds all of her hope, or of her courage and all of her love. All she didn’t have the chance to give him properly while alive.

He wants to tell her that she gave him all of it. That she has always been his light.

But the image of her is already dying down. The light softening in the darkness.

Noctis manages to smile through his tears as he watches her fade away, leaving the world colder than before.

Soon his fingers grip only air.

It takes all of his power not to crumble down to the ground.

King of Lucis takes a deep breath, closing his eyes as he turns to the night's sky.

He can feel his companions staring at him.

And as the biting cold of the night returns he realizes that he is at peace now.

There is still anger in him. He still wants to destroy Ardyn with every fiber of his being.

But after that…

There is no remorse left.

No bitterness about life short lived.

He will make his brothers and friends a good world to live in. A place of sun and hope. A place that they deserve.

He might not live to see it, but it will be there.

And he will be at peace.

With mother, with father and with Luna.

And the thought calms him.

He opens his eyes and summons the trident with a flick of his wrist. The weight appears in his hand almost instantly.

It’s almost a ritual now; to press his forehead against the ornamented metal. To trace It’s pattern with his fingertips. To say a silent Thank you every time he feels her strength radiating through the weapon.

This time it means even more.

Finally he opens his eyes.

His brothers are standing closer beside him; as if waiting for him to snap at any given moment. Three pairs of eyes look at him with worry and sadness.

Noctis nods at them. Biting down all the sadness and fear, letting the light she left take over.

"Shall we?"

The night has ruled this world long enough.

**Author's Note:**

> This little piece was created (while sobbing endlessly) after seeing the new FFXV:Royal Edition trailer. More so by the snippet of a new scene including Luna (And briefly by the fact that Noctis always seems to be paying respects to Luna when he switches his weapon to her trident and it always breaks my heart). Because my shipper's heart needs more scenes with them and this particular scenario had been on my mind whole lecture i had to sit in.  
> So naturally i had to write it. 
> 
> My tumblr: anathash.tumblr.com


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